Intelligence 1 Flashcards
define intelligence
the capacity for abstract, logic, critical thinking
What does IQ stand for?
Intelligence Quotient
What does IQ mean?
an index of an individual’s intelligence score
How is IQ measured?
- verbal test
- non-verbal test
What is an advantage of non-verbal IQ tests
eliminates issues with:
- language
- verbal abilities
- cultural differences
What is the psychological debate surrounding intelligence?
nature vs nurture
whether or not intelligence is inherited or learned from our environment
What are some main issues with the history of studying intelligence?
- flawed, racist background
- Cyril Burt advised British government to use aptitude test to determine which children go to grammar schools
- his research suggested occupational levels and social class are due to innate levels of intelligence
- found that most of his arguments were fabricated
Give an example of non-verbal IQ test
- Raven’s progressive matrices
Define Genotype
genetic makeup of an organism
Define phenotype
the physical characteristic of an organism
- influenced by both genotype and environment
- this can be measured
What does degree to genetic relatedness do?
looking at people with various degrees of relatedness gives understanding of genetic basis of a concept
how far genetic play a role in basis of a concept
How can you investigate genetic relatedness?
twin studies
Define polygenic
a characteristic or trait determined by the interaction of more than two genes
What evidence is there to suggest intelligence is genetically determined?
- intelligence scores form a normal distribution curve
- meaning bell shaped curve is formed where majority of population is the mean score
- the pattern is known as polygenic feature
- polygenic feature is seen in genetically determined characteristic i.e.: height
- suggesting intelligence is genetically determined
Why is the normal distribution of intelligence flawed?
the definition of intelligence is atheoretical
Define ‘atheoretical definition of intelligence’
intelligence is what IQ tests measure
HOWEVER
there is no theory of intelligence that will determine what questions should be included in an IQ test
intelligence tests constructed based on how people perform in those tests
results from these are then taken to create a definition of what intelligence is
what is a positive about the IQ tests with testing intelligence?
IQ tests have high correlation with each other suggesting they are a valid way of measuring intelligence
What are two different types of theories about intelligence?
- intelligence is a single construct
- intelligence is a multiple construct
What does it mean for intelligence to be a single construct?
- idea that intelligence is a single construct that influences all cognitive functioning
- shown through correlations of performance on different tests
What does it mean for intelligence to be a multiple construct?
split intelligence into two types:
- fluid intelligence
- crystalized intelligence
define fluid intelligence
idea of cognitive functioning is not influenced by environment, it’s fixed throughout lifetime
- innate ability with things like problem solving etc.
- born with abilities, unchangeable
define crystallized intelligence
refers to intelligence that an change throughout lifetime
i.e.: could refer to stored factual information, benefits from schooling
these are your lived experiences that will contribute to how intelligent you are
How would you investigate to understand whether intelligence is determined by genes or the environment?
- by looking at individuals with various degrees of relatedness
- then seeing how much IQ’s correlate
Outline Bouchard & McGue (1981) study into intelligence and genetic/environmental relatedness
(twin study)
- 4,672 pairs of twins
(identical twins) genetic
- identical twins, shared same environment and same DNA
- found very high correlation in their IQ scores (0.9 correlation score)
- suggests there is a really strong genetic component to IQ
(identical twins) environmental difference
- also looked at identical twins raised apart (different environment)
- found a high correlation (0.72)
(non-identical twins) genetic
- share around 50% of DNA
- twins that were raised together
- found high correlation (0.60) in IQ scores
(non-identical twins) environmental
- looked at non-identical siblings raised apart
- here we see a very low correlation of 0.24
also found adopted children (genetically unrelated) children have a higher correlation in IQ test scores compared to